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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1862 | 1 |
| 1865 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 21 |
| 1877 | 10 |
| 1878 | 8 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 6 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 17 |
| 1884 | 5 |
| 1885 | 24 |
| 1886 | 15 |
| 1887 | 10 |
| 1888 | 9 |
| 1889 | 33 |
| 1890 | 6 |
| 1891 | 26 |
| 1892 | 53 |
| 1893 | 61 |
| 1894 | 56 |
| 1895 | 58 |
| 1897 | 1 |
| 1898 | 1 |
| 1899 | 9 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1902 | 1 |
| 1903 | 23 |
| 1904 | 17 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 7 |
| 1909 | 37 |
| 1910 | 2 |
| 1911 | 2 |
| 1912 | 1 |
| 1914 | 4 |
| 1915 | 5 |
| 1916 | 6 |
| 1917 | 5 |
| 1923 | 3 |
| 1924 | 2 |
552 stories matching lock
- The Sluggers of Yesler’s Wharf
A rough-and-tumble street fight behind a downtown saloon lands two men in the Seattle lock-up.
- The Unlucky Yawn of Mr. Jackson
A Seattle man faces an awkward medical predicament after his jaw locks mid-yawn.
- Late-Night Plumbing Shop Burglar Slips Through Police Net
An alert patrolman interrupted a lock-picking duo near South 17th and D, marking the fourth business targeted in the neighborhood this week.
- The Tragedy of August Peters
A laborer, driven to despair, takes his own life in the Kent town jail after a series of failed attempts to find peace.
- Domestic Violence and a Locked Door
A Tacoma woman files for divorce after an alleged assault and being locked out of her own home by her husband.
- The Condemned Jail of 1876
A scathing Grand Jury report in 1876 denounced Seattle's 'lock-up' as a public nuisance, sparking a debate over fiscal priorities that mirrors the city's modern struggles with infrastructure and housing.
- The Jailbreak on Commercial Street
A clever prisoner manages to pick the lock of his cell and slip away into the night, leaving the sheriff scrambling for a lead.
- The Midnight Round-Up at the Central Police Station
A night of arrests in late 1870s Seattle lands a group of local characters in the city's lock-up, marking an ordinary, albeit unrecorded, night of territorial justice.
- Con Men Target Ranch Owner With Locked-Box Poker
A Spokane County farmer loses his life savings in a classic confidence scheme involving a locked box and a mysterious stranger.
- Locksmiths Needed for Failed Jailbreak
Six inmates in Whatcom were so eager to escape they jammed their own cell locks shut, requiring a blacksmith to cut them loose for breakfast.
- Daylight Burglary at Minor School
A bold thief locks themselves inside a Chestnut Street home to clear out jewelry while children played across the alley.
- The Jail That Took Too Long
A Snohomish correspondent laments the bureaucratic foot-dragging that delayed the construction of the county's first lock-up.
- The Padlock Swindle on the Sidewalks of Seattle
A new arrival in Seattle was relieved of his life savings by a pair of confidence men using a trick lock and a fake partnership.
- The Jailhouse Remedy for a Bad Case of Whiskey
A desperate man suffering from the effects of alcohol voluntarily surrendered himself to the Seattle sheriff, asking to be locked away until he could regain his senses.
- Flood Waters Ravage Duwamish Valley Farms
Farmers report $25,000 in damages and plan to petition county commissioners over neglected drainage locks.
- The Fatal Lock: A Mother’s Visit, a Father’s Work, and Two Children Burned Alive
In January 1893, a house fire at the Kinyon mills in Tacoma claimed the lives of two young children left alone inside. The tragedy highlights a grim era where child safety was often secondary to labor demands.
- The Great Cigar Heist of Third Street
A burglar uses skeleton keys to bypass a shop lock, proving that even petty thieves in 1894 had expensive, specific tastes.
- Suspicious Fire at Standard Oil Plant
A locked gate was forced open and three horses perished in a midnight blaze that local authorities believe was no accident.
- The Girls Locked in the Walla Walla Jail
Two young women who went missing were briefly detained by police, much to their dismay.
- Yakima Jail Overflowing with 'Drunk and Disorderlies'
A frustrated prisoner asks a pointed question as the city lock-up fills up with residents.
- Dynamite in the Dark: A Great Northern Car Is Blown Apart
A locked dynamite car was opened and detonated near Newport, and detectives suspected disgruntled construction workers. No one had a clue.
- Intoxicated Burglars Stumble into Police Trap
Three men broke into the Louvre saloon, couldn't find the cash, and ended up getting arrested after getting drunk on the stolen goods.
- The Lock and the Bunko Men: How Two Hop Pickers Turned the Tables on a Seattle Con Artist
Richard Sullivan, a bunko man with a Tacoma headquarters, was convicted of petty larceny after swindling two Indian boys on the City dock.
- The Morning Glory Fizzle
A group of Vancouver Southern sympathizers attempted to print a campaign paper in Portland, only to have their equipment and their vanity locked away in a safe they couldn't open.
- Stanwood Child Attempts to Burn Down Family Home
After being locked in a room by his mother for unruly behavior, a five-year-old boy used matches to ignite a fire that nearly destroyed the family's restaurant apartment.